1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an a blood pressure monitor detecting a pulse wave from a living body portion such as a wrist or an arm of a human body to measure a blood pressure, and more particularly to an improved blood pressure monitor of which main body is detachably mounted on a cuff to be worn on the wrist or the arm.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is well known a blood pressure monitors wherein a cuff worn on a living body portion such as a wrist or an arm of a person is united with a main body of the monitor as a single unit. A first conventional blood pressure monitor is so constructed that a main body is secured to a cuff by a screw or a hook.
A second conventional blood pressure monitor is so constructed that a main body is adapted to be detachably mounted on a cuff but the main body is connected with the cuff by an air tube as shown in FIG. 19. In FIG. 19 at (a) pad fasteners 91 and 94 are respectively disposed on a cuff 90 and a main body 93 which are connected each other by an air tube 97. In FIG. 19 at (b) a hook 92 protrudes from a cuff 90 and a hook engagement opening 95 is disposed on a main body 93, and the cuff 90 and the body 93 are connected by an air tube 97. These second conventional monitors allow the main body 93 to be detachably mounted on the cuff 90 worn on the living body portion. Each main body 93 is provided with another air tube 98 connected with a manual pump (not shown in drawings) or an electric pump instead of the manual pump to inflate the cuff 90.
The first conventional blood pressure monitor does not allow the main body to be detached from the cuff, thereby causing disadvantages such that it is hard for a person of presbyopia to view a display disposed on the main body, to manipulate an operation portion such as a power switch and to operate the monitor when the cuff is worn on the arm.
As the second conventional blood pressure monitor of FIG. 19 is used by detaching the main body 93 from the cuff 90, it can resolve such hard view of the display and hard manipulation of the operation portion by the person of presbyopia. When the main body 93 is mounted on the cuff 93 as a single unit for its use, however, the cuff 90 and the main body 93 are connected by comparatively big and long air tube 97, and the excess air tube 97 disturbs the operation of the monitor and deforms its appearance. The second conventional monitor employing the pad fasteners 91 and 94 of FIG. 19 at (a) cannot ensure strongly holding the main body 93 by the cuff 90, thereby resulting in a risk such that the main body 93 is detached from the cuff 90 and drops during operation.
It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a blood pressure monitor having improved visualization and manipulation without deteriorating the simplicity and portability of a single unification of a cuff and a main body.
According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a blood pressure monitor including a cuff to be worn on a living body portion provided with an air component for inflating and deflating the cuff, and a main body detachably mounted on the cuff provided with an electrical component, the main body being electrically connected with the cuff by wire or wireless.
This blood pressure monitor is different from the above-described second conventional blood pressure monitor. This cuff is installed by the air component such as an electric pump, an exhaust valve, a tube and so forth, and this main body is installed by only the electrical component such as a display, an operation unit and so forth, so that the main body is not necessary to be connected with the cuff by an air tube and the body and cuff are electrically connected by wire or wireless.
When they are connected by wire, a narrow and easy use cable may be employed in comparison with an air tube, thereby improving the operation when the main body is detached from the cuff for use. When the cuff and the main body are coupled as a single unit, there may be employed a reel mechanism for winding the wire or a wire removing mechanism, thereby avoiding the disturbance by the wire during operation.
When wireless is employed for the electric connection between the cuff and the main body, there is no component therebetween and the operability is further improved. Thus, the visualization and the manipulation may be improved.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a blood pressure monitor including a cuff to be worn on a living body portion, a main body detachably mounted on the cuff provided with an air component for inflating and deflating the cuff, and air connection openings respectively disposed on the cuff and the main body which are adapted to be directly connected each other when the main body is mounted on the cuff but indirectly connected through an air tube when the main body is detached from the cuff. According to this blood pressure monitor, both air connection openings are directly connected each other when the main body and the cuff are coupled as a single unit for measurement, but indirectly connected through the air tube when the main body is detached for measurement, thereby improving its usefulness of the visualization and the manipulation as well as the usefulness of the foregoing blood pressure monitor of this invention.